Golf club



July 12, 1 J; VERDERBER GOLF CLUB Filed March 21, 1945 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH VERDERBER Arromvsv Patented July 12, 1949 nr eerie-e GOLF CLUB Joseph Verderber, Cleveland;.0hio

Application March 21, 19145,, S'erial'lNoh583i9ll2' (mania-7.9)

3*(3laims. 1.

This invention relates generally to golf clubs, but has reference more particularly to golf clubs having. angularly adjustable heads and to means for adjusting. said) heads.

Inzmycopending application, Serial No. 527,162 nowsaban'doned; I: have described a golf club having: an'gularly adjustable head; in which the head. is maintained:inits'zangularly adjusted posi tion, by. means of' coaching. serrated? surfaces on the shame and head! respectively; I have found; however, that-these surfaces are of such limited extent as to provideinsufficient resistance against the tendency of the head' torotate about the as. the result. of: repeated impacts ofthe head against the ball or ground The present. invention. has. as itsprimary object the provision of golf clubs of the aforesaid character, in which better: and more extended ineanszare-provided to. resist the tendency ofthe club head'to move from its adjusted position.

Another object of the invention is to provide golf clubs of the aforesaid character, having improved; means for locking the club head in. adjusted position,. as well. as improved means for effecting the release of the. clubihead for, adjust-- ment purposes.

Other. objects and advantages. of. the invention will'be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to-designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the lower portion of a golf club embodying a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a, view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the hosel, as viewed from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken approximately along the line 6-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken along the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the splined h ead-locking members;

'7 is a perspective view of the spring which elease the splined locking members from locking position.

Referring more particularly to that form of the invention shown in the drawing, it will be seen that the golf club comprises a shaft l to which 2 is sccured= a memberconsisting of a hosel- 2 and a shank 3 extending; at an obtuse angle tothe hosel and t'ermi'nating in an extension lhof'slightly reduced diameter, from which" a threaded stud 3 extends.-

The club further includes-a metallic head- 5; the face; of whichisribbed in the customary manner, asshown'inFig'. 1, the head being'mountedon the shankt in suchta manner as toberotatable, about theshank; For'this purpose; theheadisprovided with a longitudinally=ext'ending bore 6, through which the shank 3 extends; the; head being retained' against axial-displacement from the shank by means of a cap-screw; the head '3' of which abuts one end of" the head 5' and the shank 81 of which is. internally -threaded forengagement with the stud 4-. oftheshank 3; theouter surface of the shank 8 of the. cap-screw: constituting, in effect, a. continuation of'the outersurfa'ce of the shank 3*, so' as toform' with the; latter a bearing surface for the head 5.

The wallofthe borefi'isprovided'with a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced serrations or teeth 9, which extend'l'ongitudinally of the head for a substantiatportion.offthejlength of. the head, these serrations being practically coextensive in length with the length of the extension 6 of the shank. 3;

The shank 3 and. extensiond'. areprovided' with an axial, bor-e I0, which is closed? at one end by means, of a, Walsh, plug l'.l. Extending radially from the, portion, off-the bore. It? which extends through the extension 4', is a plurality of"ciroumferentially-spaced slideways or passages 12, in

which are disposed splined head-locking members it, each provided at its radially-outermost face with a series of parallel serrations, splines or teeth M, which are adapted for engagement with the teeth 9 of the head 5.

The members l3 are provided at their ends with inclined surfaces l5 and I'E, the surface E5 being engaged by the correspondingly tapered end of a cam member H, which is threadedly mounted in the shank extension 4, and is retained in adjusted position by means of a set screw l8.

The members l3 are normally maintained out of engagement with the serrations 9 by means of an annular spring I 9, which is seated in an annular recess 20 in the extension 4 of the shank. 3, and in recesses 20' in the splined members 13, and acts to normally force the splined members l3 radially inward with respect to said extension. When the members l3 are thus disposed out of engagement with the serrations 9, the head 5 may be rotated about the shank 3 to any desired posi- 3 tion, and may be locked in adjusted position by the locking means to be now described.

Such locking means comprises a pin 2|, which is mounted for reciprocal sliding movement in that portion of the bore II] which extends through the shank 3, and is provided with a tapered end surface 22, which is in engagement with the inclinecl surfaces l8 of the members l3, and with a tenon-like projection 23, which extends into a slot 24 in a cam member 25, and into engagement with a cam element 26 of the member 25. The cam member 25 is mounted for rotation in a recess 21, which extends through the shank 3 horizontally at right angles to the bore ID, and

is provided at one end with an actuating handle 28, which is disposed alongside the hosel 2.

When the handle 28 is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the members l3 are in locked engagement with the serrations 9. This results from the fact that the pin 2| has been forced by the cam element 26 to move to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, thereby causing the member I! and tapered end 22 of the pin 2| to act conjointly to force the members |3 radially outwardly into engagement with the serrations 9, and against the action of the spring l9.

In order to withdraw the members I 3 from the serrations 9, so as to permit angular adjustment of the head 5, the handle 28 is rotated in a clock-wise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, thereby permitting the spring I9 to move the members I3 radially inwardly, the action of such spring causing the pin 2| to move to the right from the position shown in Fig. 4.

It is thus seen that I have provided an adjustable head golf club having improved means for locking the club head in adjusted position, as well as improved means for efiecting the release of the club head for adjustment purposes.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a golf club, the combination of a hollow shank, a head provided with a bore for the reception of said shank therein and having serrations on its inner surface, an adjustable cam member threaded into the shank at one end thereof and having a tapered end thereon, a secn r (I I) .4 ond cam member slidably mounted in said shank and having a tapered end thereon opposing the taper on the first cam member, a serrated clutch element carried within said shank and lying between the opposed tapered ends of the cam members, said elements having inclined surfaces thereon mating with the tapered ends of the cam members and means carried by the shank and engaging the slidable cam member to force it toward the adjustable cam member to thereby force the clutch element radially outwardly of the shank and into engagement with the bore of the head.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which the last named means comprises a pin extending transversely of the head and rotatably mounted therein to the rear of the slidable cam and having a slot therein intermediate its ends, the said slidable cam being provided at its rear with a tenon-like terminal projecting into said slot to thereby prevent axial displacement of said run.

8. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which the shank and the clutch element is provided with a groove intermediate the ends thereof with the grooves in each in register with each other and a spring encircling said shank and clutch element and lying within the grooves, said spring being operable to retract the clutch element and also to prevent axial shifting thereof.

JOSEPH VERDERBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 569,438 Urquhart Oct. 13, 1896 727,086 Burnam May 5, 1903 776,368 Urquhart Nov. 29, 1904 1,033,434 Curry Jan. 6, 1914 1,568,485 Turney Jan. 5, 1926 1,605,140 Perkins Nov. 2, 1926 1,620,588 Wilson Mar. 8, 1927 1,644,177 Collins Oct. 4, 1927 2,242,670 Fuller May 20, 1941 2,305,270 Nilson Dec. 15, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,419 Great Britain 1893 

